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Posted: Wed Jan 23, 2008 2:08 pm

I remember seeing some of the series on television, but a long while ago.

Surprisingly, I've never bought the dvd(s) of it, although I've read some of the reviews and it is highly praised.

Does it tell the story of the Zulu nation well ?

I'm considering obtaining it this year, to get more in-depth details about the Zulus in a film/drama, that wasn't really covered greatly in 'Zulu' or 'Zulu Dawn'.

Is it as good as they say, and what of accuracy ?

Apparently it runs for 500+ minutes. Shocked

Thanks

Coll

Posted: Wed Jan 23, 2008 4:04 pm

Coll

I received it for a present a couple of years ago and eventually watched all of it. (Can't remember how many episodes/discs).

Plenty of good acting from one or two well known actors and plenty who weren't known to me (and whom I've now forgotten!) as well as lots of nice rural scenes in an endeavour to depict the Zululand terrain of nearly two centuries ago. It is possible to follow the story, which is centred around the traders from whom most of our knowledge (or assumptions) of Shaka comes - Fynn, Farewell, Isaacs and the rest, as well as Shaka's emergence at the head of the Zulu clan, nation & then empire. Henry Cele as Shaka (as you no doubt know) was, I thought, good (as far as the script allowed).

Ample colour, noise and drama. "What of accuracy?" you asked. Er, no! It was originally a TV series I believe, Coll, so accuracy was hardly the aim (however much it might have been claimed). A good yarn, well acted, plenty of smashing scenery, black meets white, some battle scenes (perhaps with limited numbers) and a rather strange location for kwaBulawayo (which is what I presume was being depicted) and, not surprisingly, oodles of intrigue involving sangomas, etc., all spectacularly done. I'm sure you'll like it.

Quite a number of personalities and events have been completely mixed up, or changed, or invented altogether to condense or help the story along. Much of it, therefore, does not depict what actually happened at all (even if it was Ritter who was being followed!) and I suppose it differs even more from modern scholarship on Shaka. If only those famous diaries weren't so suspect!

I haven't been back to it since but just treat it as a film and I'm sure you'll like it, Coll. After all, you liked Zulu Dawn! Wink

Peter

Posted: Wed Jan 23, 2008 4:45 pm

Thanks Peter

Great answer. Very Happy

I asked about accuracy, as the book I was considering getting to accompany the dvd(s) is 'Myth Of Iron', which I think it was yourself had mentioned previously.

I've got the feeling the film/drama will concentrate more on portraying 'Shaka the myth', but the book, if I recall, was going to present, as near be, the 'real Shaka'.

It is quite clear both of these will clash on many points, opinions differing to a great degree.

Did you get the book Peter ?

Was the information contained within convincing, when taking away some of the myths built up about Shaka ?

Thanks again

Coll

PS. 'Zulu Dawn' was a masterpiece. Wink

Posted: Wed Jan 23, 2008 5:29 pm

Coll,

The DVD is quite fun and portrays the traditional account of Shaka and his reign. [If you�ve got R A Ritter�s (1950s) work, the DVD will be familiar]

Myth of Iron tries to dispel the myths and other �stories� regarding the despot and makes interesting reading.

Get them both and enjoy. You won�t be disappointed!

AMB

Posted: Wed Jan 23, 2008 9:41 pm

AMB

Thanks for your reply.

I'd like to find out more about Shaka in this recent publication, but also seeing how he was portrayed on film.

With previous discussions about new AZW films and the possibility of being from the Zulu perspective, I'd like to see if it could work, by viewing the Shaka Zulu series, which appears to have been a success.

Makes you think there could be hope that such an approach may also be successful regarding Isandlwana or Rorke's Drift.

It'll be interesting to watch.

Thanks again

Coll

Posted: Thu Jan 24, 2008 3:09 pm

There appears to be 4-discs in the Shaka Zulu box set.

Coll

Posted: Thu Jan 24, 2008 9:12 pm

Coll

I too first saw this series on TV but have since bought the DVD set. Four discs indeed - and very nicely packaged too. Discs 1 - 3 each feature three Episodes (i.e. 1 - 9) while the fourth disc includes the final Episode 10 and Special Features (interviews, publicity material etc).

Must say I have always quite enjoyed the series. A pinch of usawoti is needed here and there but all the principal characters are featured along with great costumes and magnificent scenery (I believe some of the 'kwaBulawayo' footage was filmed at "Shakaland"). One sad note is that the magnificent Henry Cele who played "Shaka" passed away last year. Must also confess that I lost my heart to Dudu Mkhize ("Nandi") all those years ago!! Embarassed

I would only additionally comment that the picture quality is not always up to usual DVD standard and also that (I found) the English dialogue sometimes difficult to follow when spoken with heavy African accents. However, much of the dialogue is in isiZulu - with English sub titles - which is an approach I personally preferred.

Shop around - I think you can get the set at quite a reasonable price (considering it's a four DVD set) - go for it!

H

Posted: Thu Jan 24, 2008 11:42 pm

Coll et al,

I think you'll find that what is now Shakaland was the KwaBulawayo set for the film. Turned in to a tourist locn once shooting finished.

AMB

Posted: Fri Jan 25, 2008 10:50 am

That's right Andrew. It suffered a fire which destroyed some of the larger buildings in March 2000, just a fortnight before we stayed the night there, but they've been renewed since I believe.

If I recall correctly, though, the aerial shots of kwaBulawayo in the series depicted a stronghold position on a high, isolated plateau and I wonder whether this particular shot was Shakaland after all (even though the local and interior shots were clearly of Shakaland) as I don't recall such topography.

Peter

Posted: Fri Jan 25, 2008 1:48 pm

Haydn/AMB

Thankyou very much for the additional details.

I look forward to watching it when obtained.

Coll

Posted: Sat Jan 26, 2008 3:04 pm

On checking Amazon, as well as the 500+ minute box set, there is another dvd 'Shaka Zulu : The Last Great Warrior' starring Henry Cele and Grace Jones, but with a run time of just 94 minutes. Confused

Is this an entirely different film, or the series greatly shortened to this new run time ?

If it is the series shortened, I don't see how they could include enough of the series to make it easy to understand, it would be more a summary.

Coll

Posted: Sat Jan 26, 2008 3:48 pm

Coll,
Shaka Zulu, The Last Great Warrior has nothing to do with the miniseries Shaka Zulu or for that much anything else. It's a rather silly tale of Shaka cast as a superhero battling the forces of Evil as personified in Arab slavers.
My own opinion, for what it's worth, is that the mini-series is well done and certainly worth watching every so often if only to see Cele in action. It is, of course loosely based on Ritter's book of the same name and therefore suspect from a historical standpoint. Ritter collected facts, myths and folklore from the Zulu oral tradition as well as from the European sources (Farewell, King, et. al.) and distilled them into a cohesive and readable novel, but consensus is that pretty much everyone providing input had hidden agendas and the reader (and viewer) is well cautioned to appreciate the thread of extreme bias.
Parenthetically, I don't recall that the miniseries contained the creepy tale that Ritter tells of the hyena locked in the hut with the Queen. She feeds him human skulls from her personal collection to keep him from eating her, but to no avail as he eventually gnaws her feet off as he sleeps. I think that the movie makers missed a trick with that one 'cause it would have made good "copy" , but it wouldn't have been in keeping with the image of a kinder, gentler Shaka. To my mind, Zulucentric storytelling can be just as misleading as Eurocentric storytelling.
Watch the movie for fun, but if you're interested in facts I think there are much better sources for them.

Posted: Sat Jan 26, 2008 4:10 pm

Coll,

No, the second DVD is a made-for-TV film. Entertaining, but do not let history get in the way!

AMB

Posted: Sat Jan 26, 2008 4:41 pm

Sawubona/AMB

I'm delighted to say that I've obtained the Shaka Zulu 10-part series today ! Very Happy

Thanks for your replies.

Coll

Posted: Sat Jan 26, 2008 4:46 pm

Coll,

Set a-side a weekend and enjoy!

AMB